Patrick, a rich businessman, celebrates his daughter
Linda''s 18th birthday by taking her and his wife to a
famous casino resort in the south of France, where, 20
years earlier, he had won the money that enabled him to
start his business and begin his rise to the top. At the
casino he meets the beautiful and mysterious Lorna, whom
he first encountered that night 20 years ago. She
reminds him that he made a promise to her back then. She
is the power behind his success and now she has returned
to claim her reward - his daughter, Linda. A masterpiece
of transgressive horror from Jess Franco.
It''s all about crabs...
31 March 2011 | by matheusmarchetti (Brazil)
No, this is not another European cash-in on "The
Exorcist", unlike what it''s title may suggest. It is,
however, the most disturbing and shocking Jess Franco
film I''ve seen. Hell, it is one of the most disturbing
horrors I''ve seen, which is surprising considering this
is a virtually bloodless film. It''s horror relies,
instead, in it''s totally demented instances of
psychosexual hysteria that can also be found in works
such as "Possession" or "Dr. Jekyll and his Women".
Franco haters tend to dismiss his work as amateurish and
crude, and this criticism can be applied, in a way, to
this film in particular. However, in this case, it works
in favor of the film, coming across as making it''s raw,
gritty atmosphere all the more authentic. André
Bénichou''s haunting, experimental score also adds a lot
to it. And for those who think Lina Romay has little to
do in the director''s works other than having to
masturbate in close-ups, her performance here is a truly
stunning tour-de-force that has to be seen to be
believed, up there with other portrayals of sexually
frustrated women in horror films, such as Catherine
Denueve in "Repulsion" or Mimsy Farmer in "The Perfume
of the Lady in Black". Her sex scenes with the equally
bewildering Pamela Stanford (the titular villain),
though graphic, are anything but sexy, and her final,
extended "intimate" sequence is bound to make your jaw
drop to the floor, not only because of what is shown,
but also because of it''s context. And that''s not even
the film''s most shocking bit to begin with (anyone who''s
seen the film know about THE particular scene I''m
referring to, and I dare not spoil it for those who
haven''t seen it). "Lorna the Exorcist" seems to have
some kind of popularity with Franco haters, so I beg you
to give it a shot. Even if you don''t like it at all, one
can''t deny it will haunt you for days to follow.